Reams outlines possible allegations against him

BRENTWOOD — Rockingham County Attorney Jim Reams will file a lawsuit against the county on Wednesday for “unlawfully” barring him from the county complex, his lawyer said.

Elizabeth Dinan

BRENTWOOD — Rockingham County Attorney Jim Reams will file a lawsuit against the county on Wednesday for “unlawfully” barring him from the county complex, his lawyer said.

Meanwhile, Reams is also asking a judge to order the attorney general's office to provide him with details about allegations that led to his Nov. 6 suspension and loss of prosecutorial power. Through attorney Michael Ramsdell, Reams reports to the court that he has been provided with “limited information” about allegations made against him and he outlines those allegations as follows:

* That Reams referred to a woman in his office as a “babe,” that he told a female employee that buttoning up a top button on her blouse made her “look like a prude,” that he told a woman she would get more information from a “kid” if she padded her bra, and that he tugged on another woman's sweater and “brushed her buttocks.”

These complaints were allegedly filed on or around 1999 and also include an allegation that Reams asked job candidates about their marital status and whether they had children.

According to Reams' motion to the court, these allegations were previously investigated by the attorney general's office, that he cooperated and was told the allegations “have substantially, if not completely, abated.”

* That some female employees in Reams' office believe he “enjoys when they wear high heels” to work and he once “used an acronym for a crude term” when speaking of one woman's shoes. Reams' lawyer wrote to the court that Reams is unaware of the allegations.

* That Reams told a former assistant county attorney that her blouse was unbuttoned, exposing her undergarments and “cleavage,” and that he “touched the assistant county attorney while pointing out the unintended undone button.”

Reams' attorney tells the court this incident occurred “years ago,” that it was previously investigated and the woman's story has changed over time, including originally denying she was touched.

* That in 2010, Reams “placed his hand on the thigh” of a female employee while they attended a domestic violence conference. Reams' attorney reports in his motion that this incident was also investigated and a witness reported it never happened.

n That a female employee reported Reams made inappropriate remarks to her regarding his relationship with his spouse, looked her over “suggestively” and left her gifts after she refused to accompany him to Boston to visit a child victim.

Through his lawyer, Reams said he looked the attorney over to ensure she was dressed appropriately for the press conference and he denies the other allegations.

* That Reams learned a county employee had lied on a resume and he did not disclose the lie before that employee testified as a witness during a trial.

n That a woman alleged Reams used a county credit card to take her to lunch after a press conference.

Reams' lawyer tells the court that the use of the county credit card was proper because they were away from the office during lunchtime.

* That Reams made inappropriate remarks about birth control, victims and assistant county attorneys going on trips with him “under sexually suggestive conditions.”

Reams denies these allegations, his lawyer wrote.

* That an attorney in the county attorney's office had her authority reduced and supervision increased after her return from maternity leave in 2008. Reams's lawyer responds that the employee's files were reassigned during her absence because many were found to be incomplete or incorrect.

* That Reams “made remarks of the nature that he hoped employees would not become pregnant” and one employee did not become pregnant “because she feared it could adversely impact her status at the office.”

Reams' motion to the court says he “joked” about wishing employees would not become pregnant and suspects that complaint was already investigated by the AG.

Ramsdell's motion, dated Dec. 9, asks a judge to order that all evidence related to the allegations against Reams and the case be turned over to his client. Ramsdell said he will file suit against the county on Wednesday, asking a judge to rescind an order by the County Commission that bars Reams from the county building.

Reams and his deputy, Tom Reid, had their prosecutorial power stripped on Nov. 6 by order of N.H. Attorney General Joseph Foster, who “exercised his statutory authority” to do so, according to U.S. Attorney John Kacavas. Reams, Reid and a third unidentified county employee are on paid leave, according to the state attorney general's office.

Ramsdell said he does not believe the commission had the authority to “lock the county attorney out of the facility.” On Friday, he put the county on notice that if the barment was not rescinded by 5 p.m. Tuesday, he would file suit Wednesday. At 5:02 p.m. Tuesday, Ramsdell said he had not heard from anyone from the county.

In a court motion calling for an expedited hearing and a review of evidence in the case, Ramsdell wrote that Reams was notified by Foster that he was suspended “in order to allow state and federal investigators to conduct an investigation into the operations and your management of the Rockingham County Attorney's Office.” The motion states that Reams believes the AG is also reviewing “certain financial accounts” in his office and “is confident that the Attorney General ultimately will conclude there is no evidence that supports a good faith belief in a criminal charge.”

“While the Attorney General has provided County Attorney Reams' counsel with partial oral summaries of some, but not all, of the allegations, the County Attorney's request for copies of investigative reports, witness interview reports and any additional documentary evidence was denied,” according to Ramsdell's motion.

Reams' lawyer also wrote to the court that “the partial oral summaries” provided by the AG do not include details such as the identity of complainants, the dates events allegedly occurred and information about witnesses.

A court hearing is scheduled for Dec. 19 in Merrimack County Superior Court for legal debate about whether the attorney general's office had the authority to strip Reams of his prosecutorial power.

Reams, a Seacoast Republican leader, was re-elected in 2010 to his seventh two-year term as the $85,000-a-year county attorney.

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